Owls tie series with Fleetwings

Gabelsville uses strong defense to blank Woodlawn 2-0.

By Ted Meixell
Special to The Morning Call

 

Yes, four errors appear in the linescore below.

True enough, the winning run scored on a miscue on a ball that traveled, oh, nine feet.

Do not, however, conclude that the Gabelsville Owls' semifinal series-tying 2-0 win over the host Woodlawn Fleetwings was defined by poor defensive play.

To the contrary, both clubs played astoundingly good defense in the game at Scherersville. In fact, had it not been for the great defensive play, each team would have scored a few more runs.

In the end, spunky Shawn Betz came out on the winning side of a classic duel of veteran right-handers with lanky Scott Bolasky.

Betz scattered four hits -- one a double by Scott Matejicka -- walked two and struck out three to blank the hard-hitting, high-scoring Fleetwings (27-7).

Asked about his repertoire of pitches, Betz said with a grin, ''I'm almost embarrassed to tell you. A lot of offspeed stuff -- changes and curves -- both slower than my fastball. [The Fleetwings] are a great fastball hitting team. With them, you try to get ahead and then go offspeed; you've got to try to keep them off balance.''

Brett Umstead would ultimately score the winning run in the sixth inning when Fleetwings' catcher/manager Jeremy Arner couldn't find the handle on Gary Hessler's dribbler in front of the plate. But center fielder Matt Marcks made two great plays that prevented the Owls (25-7) from having a big inning.

Bolasky actually started Gabelsville's winning ''rally'' by plunking Betz and Umstead with pitches, then balking them to second and third with none out.

Matt Danner, who catches for and manages the Owls, clouted a line drive to medium center. Marcks grabbed it and uncorked a powerful throw to the plate. Arner got the throw in plenty of time to tag out Betz, with Umstead moving to third.

Hessler then nubbed his swinging bunt. Arner pounced on it, but bobbled the ball and Umstead scored. Mitch Schueck and Jon Kalejta followed with singles, the latter to center. Hessler, no doubt remembering Marcks' throw moments earlier, applied the brakes at third.

But Schueck didn't, rounding second too far. Marcks raced in and got Schueck in a rundown. Eventually, Hessler had no choice but to break for the plate, so Marcks gunned the ball to Arner, who ran down Hessler for the third out.

Gabelsville got a pair of great plays each from second baseman Schueck and third baseman Adam Tsakonas and one from center fielder A.J. Bohn.

Tsakonas went deep behind the bag to snag shots by Matt Godusky and Arner, making long, accurate throws to throw both out. Schueck made back-to-back gems in the seventh, first ranging far to his right for Justin Godusky's smash up the middle, then making a diving grab of Arner's pop in foul territory. Bohn raced with his back to the infield to shag Scott Garger's bolt to deep center.

But Garger made perhaps the best play of the night in the fourth. Umstead (single, stolen base) was on second when Danner hit a line drive to medium right, near the foul line. Garger made a running catch, then wheeled and, somehow, gunned down Umstead at third.

''When Matt [Marcks] is here, with Garger in right and [Matt] Godusky in left, I think we have the best outfield n the league defensively,'' Arner said. ''Garger's throw to third was just unbelievable.

''Fundamentally, Gabelsville is the best team in the league. They don't give you anything. If you're not hitting, you're going to have a hard time beating them.

The third game in this best-of-five series will be at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in Gabelsville.


Gabelsville                    000 001 1 -- 2 8 1

Woodlawn Fleetwings  000 000 0 -- 0 4 3


Shawn Betz (W) and Matt Danner; Scott Bolasky (L) and Jeremy Arner.

Ted Meixell is a freelance writer.

From The Morning Call -- August 3, 2007

Copyright © 2007, The Morning Call